Audi A3 2.0 FSI

This A3 is a harbinger of a U.S.-market premium small Audi and the new VW Golf.

Audi produces a number of small cars that don't make it to the U.S. This is largely because there isn't a market here for premium-priced small cars. But the company will soon make a go of it with its new A3. Mercedes already sells its relatively inexpensive C230 hatchback here. And BMW may well decide to sell its upcoming 1-series small sedan in the U.S., too.

The small-car premium segment might be a new phenomenon for Americans, but there has been an A3 since 1996 for European consumption. Fundamentally, the A3 has always been, and still is, a Volkswagen Golf in smarter clothes. It's been notable more for the excellence of its interior furnishings than for its performance or driving quality.

The new Audi A3 is launched as a three-door. The plan is to bring the car across the Atlantic in 2005 only in five-door form, a version not yet revealed. Audi says the five-door will be more a sports wagon than a standard hatchback. Mechanically, it will be the same as the three-door A3s we've driven in Europe.

So the A3 is coming-but not yet. But there is another reason why this car is of interest to us at this early stage. It is the first opportunity to drive the fifth-generation Golf, or rather the VW Group's new A-platform that will eventually form the basis of a range of VWs (Golf, GTI, Jetta) and the replacement for the Audi TT, as well as Skodas and SEATs from VW's other European outposts.

What we learn from the A3 is that the Golf platform has a 2.5-inch-longer wheelbase and one-inch-wider tracks than the current model. The twist-beam rear suspension of the current platform has been replaced by an independent multilink arrangement that is remarkably similar to that of a Ford Focus. Vertical stamped-steel trailing arms, like Ford's "control blades," are good for lateral stiffness. For Audi there is the added advantage that it need only make one rear suspension while offering front- and all-wheel-drive versions. The all-wheel-drive system for the A3 is the TT's Haldex multiplate clutch system that will be standard on the top V-6 version of the new A3 and optional on others.

The steering has speed-related power assistance from an electric motor mounted directly on the rack. Electronic stability control is standard, and the combination of its yaw sensor and the electric steering provides automatic compensation for road cambers and side winds.

Although the layout and main components will remain the same, the springs, the dampers, the anti-roll bars, and the bushings will vary with different applications of the platform. For Audi the suspension is quite stiff but well damped and has reserves of grip, at least for the lesser-powered front-wheel-drive A3s we were able to try. Handling and roadholding are both major improvements on the Golf, GTI, and outgoing A3. The steering is accurate but feels somewhat anesthetized-not unlike other electric-assist systems we've sampled. Overall, the new A3 comes close but can't quite match the driving pleasure of the Ford Focus-a car that will compete more or less directly with the A3 in Europe. Expect the pricing of the American A3 to put it in a different class than the Focus.

With the new platform comes a new base engine for these cars. The familiar Audi-designed 1.8-liter, 20-valve four-cylinder turbo motor will not be used in the new A3, in Europe or in the States. It is replaced by a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter 16-valve direct-injection gasoline engine that produces the same power (150 hp) as most versions of the turbocharged 1.8. The FSI (Fuel Stratified Injection) engine, which is equipped with an NOx storage catalyst, can run "lean burn" on light load and achieve 35 mpg but is optimized for low-sulfur fuel and may not achieve the same efficiency with sulfur-heavy U.S. gas. It is smoother and more melodious than the turbo 1.8 and has much better throttle response.

The 2.0-liter-and a new 2.0-liter, 16-valve TDI diesel that will be popular in Europe-is accompanied by a rather clunky six-speed manual gearbox. Much better, we imagine, will be the Direct-Shift Gearbox double-clutch system that comes with the 250-hp V-6 engine-the same powertrain recently introduced in the TT-in the all-wheel-drive A3 3.2. Audi's bosses were not happy with the preproduction V-6 Quattros taken to the A3's launch and withdrew them before we had a chance to drive them. Better still will be an RS 3 super-high-performance model (there is talk of 350 hp) that won't make it for at least a year and will be offered only as a five-door.

What is disappointing is that the increased wheelbase compared with that of the outgoing car doesn't provide noticeably more legroom for back-seat passengers. And although the cabin is as well finished as we've come to expect in an Audi, the designers seem to have run out of new ideas-the A3 shows cues from the TT but not much original flair.

Some think the same about the three-door's exterior, with its broad shoulders, high waist, shallow windows, and hint of the deep split grille that Audi plans as its new trademark. Nice but conservative. Audi assures us the five-door A3, the one we will be getting, is much more distinctive. -Ray Hutton

*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.

*AccuPayment estimates payments under various scenarios for budgeting and informational purposes only. AccuPayment does not state credit or lease terms that are available from a creditor or lessor, and AccuPayment is not an offer or promotion of a credit or lease transaction.